Yesterday, in the shadow of the 31st Street Bridge near the Strip District, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl walked among the few hundred wrecked and abandoned cars in the city's impound yard, and nothing dented his impression that there must be a better use for the riverfront land.

Then he led officials and reporters under a parked train and, with the Allegheny River as a backdrop, unveiled a three-part plan to expand on some $3 billion in riverside development that has occurred since 2000.

Step one: Find a private operator to handle the storage and release of towed cars, at a different location still convenient enough for those seeking to reclaim their vehicles. Interested firms have until May 9 to submit proposals.

Step two: Cast about for ideas for redeveloping the 2-acre site, and possibly the 8- to 10-acre parcel next door, where city trash trucks now sit.

Step three: Work with the Riverlife Task Force and a yet-to-be-selected consultant to turn past and future visions of the water's edge into a comprehensive plan that could include a rewrite of city zoning rules for the shores.

The prospect of replacing the fenced-in lot for scofflaws' wheels with homes, stores, technology offices or a mixture of the three thrilled advocates for the rivers and the neighborhood.

"In the Strip District, you don't usually realize that there is a river," said Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip. "I'm excited to see what people come up with."

"The idea is that the riverfronts are really precious property from every perspective," said Riverlife Executive Director Lisa Schroeder. She said an effort to revitalize a Y-shaped swath of riverfront is 60 percent done, with another 20 percent underway, and the Strip parcel would be a step toward completion. "We really feel like we're reaching a tipping point now."

Rob Stephany, acting executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, said even a 2-acre riverfront parcel could interest developers. He said the site could attract residents from outside the city, as nearby Washington's Landing, on Herr's Island, has done.

Mr. Ravenstahl said a private firm would be required to expand the tow pound's hours, and the administration would ensure that a new facility isn't too far out of the way.

Beechview-based towing firm McGann & Chester Towing may bid, said co-owner Robert McGann.

The pound's civilian employees would be reassigned, and the police officer who works the desk would continue to do that even when the facility is privatized, he said.